Govt to give more teeth to PCPNDT Act to tackle female foeticide

New Delhi, May 19 (UNI) The government would adopt a Mission Mode approach and give more teeth to the PCPNDT Act to effectively deal with the menace of female foeticide which has caused declining sex ratio in the country, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss told the Rajya Sabha today.

In response to the Calling Attention Motion on 'Rampant female foeticide and the resultant imbalance in sex ratio in the Country,' Dr Ramadoss said the Central Supervisory Board would meet on June 14 where it would be considered to give more teeth to the Pre Conception Prenatal Determination Test Act to make it more effective.

Moreover, mobile ultrasound machines would be banned in five states where the sex ratio is minimum to prevent their misuse, he said. He said the government would also consider setting up an Interministerial approach to tackle the complex issue. Already, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has been involved along with the Health Ministry, other ministries could also follow suit.

Stating that female foeticide was a matter of grave concern, he said it was not just a medical issue but a social and developmental one which might affect the economic growth and development of the country. Pointing out that the child sex ratio has declined to 927 per 1000 in 2001 in 0 to 6 year age group, the Minister said it was comparatively lower in the affluent states like Punjab (798), Haryana (819), Chandigarh (845), Gujarat (883) and Himachal Pradesh (896).

Citing son preference and neglect of girl child as the reason behind female foeticide, he said the problem has been aggravated by the easy availability of sex determination tests and abortion services.

He said the government was committed and had even taken many steps to deal with the problem of female foeticide but since the quantum of the problem is huge, he sought support of all the sections of society, political parties, MPs, NGOs and religious leaders to tackle it.

He said the government is sensitising society, Judiciary, police and NGOs to ensure effective implementation of the PCPNDT Act. The MPs in the five states, where the sex ratio is minimum, would be given Rs five lakh each to increase awareness on the issue.

Admitting that the government was ''ashamed'' over the very low rate of conviction of doctors, Dr Ramadoss said till date only one doctor has been convicted for violating the Act. However, it was not due to the fault of the central government which has been taking the matter with state governments who have the authority to implement it.

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